As a death row inmate in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, arrested and sentenced to death because of the “crime” of converting to Christianity, I never imagined I would ever be able to visit Israel, much less made so many warm and close relationships with Israeli Jews. Dreams have always been vivid and significant in my life and faith (about which I write in my two books) but I never could have dreamt that today I would have co-founded a program, Root & Branch, along with an Orthodox Jewish Israeli friend and partner, to bring Christians to Israel and show solidarity and love through harvesting olives.

Watching reports from Israel and Iran during Operation Rising Lion, my heart leapt in joy and I cheered on from afar, as Israel’s brave fighters eliminated IRGC military and nuclear sites, the leaders and masterminds behind them, and important symbols of the Islamic Republic regime which has ruined so many lives in Israel, in Iran, and across the world.

During our pilot Root & Branch program in November 2024, I thanked many IDF soldiers, and apologized to them for the evil enemies they have had to face due to the extremist Islam that hijacked the land of my birth, and through the Islamic regime’s proxies.  Israelis and Iranians have shared suffering at the hands of the same common enemy in the ayatollahs.

Recently, I had the opportunity to express my thanks to IAF pilots and crew following their remarkable achievements which were also very personal to me.

“My dear Israeli brothers and sisters,

 I am an Iranian woman who knows the evil nature of the Islamic Republic Regime in Iran, the enemy you fight while sacrificing your lives to protect your homeland and people. Like you, I have endured the brutality of this regime. In 2009, I was imprisoned for nearly nine months solely........

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